


My Shot

by saintsfan165



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Hamilton References, Inspired by Hamilton, Musicals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:48:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28236447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saintsfan165/pseuds/saintsfan165
Summary: Zuko needed to show people the story of Avatar Aang. What better way than through song?OrZuko creates the equivalent of Hamilton based on Avatar: The Last Airbender and definitely falls in love.
Relationships: Suki/Zuko (Avatar)
Kudos: 8





	My Shot

Zuko stood just behind the curtains where he could hear the crowd talking animatedly. People were excited, reviews of his play had exploded online causing tickets to sell out for the next four weekends.

He couldn't believe that they had made it this far. Him, Suki, Ty Lee, everyone involved had worked so hard and now, here they were, just five minutes from opening night.

* * *

The story of Avatar Aang was a passion of his since he was a young child. His mother often read him bedtime stories of the child avatar and how he and a bunch of teenagers brought peace to the world and ended The Hundred Year war.

And for years he studied, scourging for every bit, sliver, or crumb of information that related to the legendary figure. And being the theater student he was, knew that Aang would make the perfect musical dramedy. Avatar Aang's story was filled with everything from childish joy, ridiculously fun adventures to first hand accounts of child abuse and mental health issues. Zuko worried that people often forgot about Avatar Aang–the world has been at peace for over a millennia. It's how he convinced his friends and fellow actors to help him.

He pitched the show's opening song in the actual palace of the Fire Lord when he was only twenty one. After his performance (and surprisingly not being laughed off stage) he was approached by a business man. It was no ordinary business man, the gentleman was the older brother of the Fire Lord, the mighty General of the Fire Nation. The General had always been one for the theater and also loved the tale of Avatar Aang.

"I would love to see you achieve this dream and I am more than willing to help finance this dream," the old man promised him. "Just make sure of one thing, will you?" Zuko didn't care what the condition was. If the general was going to finance this dream, it didn't matter.

"Just don't make it anything like those god awful Ember Island Players play."

Well that he could do.

His first call was to his old childhood friend Ty Lee. They'd grown up together alongside his sister and their other friend. Ty Lee had majored in dance and was an olympic gold medalist in Gymnastics. She was the key to making this all happen. If he could get her help on the choreography, the sky was the limit. He even had the perfect part for her if she was willing. The crown princess's circus freak friend.

After Ty Lee came aboard, things fell into place rather quickly. They had met up with a friend of Ty Lee's from college; Suki.

Suki had a background in musical theatre but her college major was focused on history–Women's History to be exact. She came to them with millions of ideas as well as the need to make sure they showed just how powerful and important the women in Aang's life were.

"This all started because of Katara. Her need to help and protect people as well as her mastering waterbending at fourteen is unheard of." Suki passionately argued with him. They were trying to figure out how the play would officially be starting. Ty Lee was off planning the choreography for the opening song: The Last Airbender. But this was the beginning of the story. This would create a lasting effect on the audience.

"Well technically, Sokka would be the reason this all started. Had he not wanted to go fishing that day, and had he not decided to let Katara tag along, nothing would be the same. I think Sokka needs to be the one to sing our tale first!" He countered with an equal amount of passion.

Suki had just rolled her eyes. "Oh yes, him "allowing" Katara to tag along. Or am I forgetting that she got so mad at his sexist remarks that she caused a swell and forced the Avatar to be unearthed. Please remind me _Zuko_ how Sokka freed Aang from his frozen prison."

They were nearly nose to nose at that point and despite the fact that Suki was speaking total facts with backed up evidence that Sokka was (in his early teenage years) a bit of a sexist, the only thing Zuko could think about were the tiny freckles peppering her cheeks and that he really liked hearing her say his name. He brushed those thoughts aside and the two of them began writing "The Boy in the Iceberg".

That was how most of the song writing went. Zuko or Suki would call each other at the most random time at night with a compelling reason why a certain character deserved their own song. They argued from major characters to the cabbage merchant. In the end, two things had happened.

One: they created a phenomenal musical that would hopefully change the genre and bring light to the dying enterprise.

Two: Zuko had fallen in love with Suki. Something he would tell her after their first opening show. When they closed curtains he would run to her, pull her close and kiss her. But first they had to get an opening show. And that meant presenting his musical to their investor.

The General sat there patiently as Zuko pitched the entire show.

"This sounds terrific. But there will be music yes? I thought it was a musical?" The man was genuinely proud of Zuko and it showed.

Zuko scrambled to hand the General a song list.

  
Act I (56 minutes)

The Boy in the Iceberg  
The Southern Water Tribe  
Water Sibling Squabble  
Hope Found  
Appa (Yip Yip)  
The Fire Prince  
Escaping Zuko #1  
The Southern Air Temple  
The Avatar State  
Kyoshi Warriors  
I'm A Girl Too  
Escaping Zuko #2  
He's Back - A Fire Lord's Discovery  
King Bumi  
Prisoners  
Winter Solstice  
Escaping Zuko #3 (I'll save you from the pirates)  
Jet  
A Prince's Honor  
Water Tribe Reunion  
Taking Flight  
The North Pole  
Princess of the Northern Water Tribe  
Lovesick Boy  
Siege of The North Pole  
Fire & Water Opposed  
Tui and La

Intermission I (15 minutes)  
Act II (69 minutes)

The Avatar State (Reprise)  
Send My Daughter - A Fire Lord's Orders  
Come Home Zuzu  
Two Lovers  
Swampbending  
The Blind Bandit  
Zuko Alone  
Ozai's Angels  
The Chase  
The Fire… Princess?  
Escaping Azula #1  
The Library in the Desert  
I'm A Girl Too (Reprise)  
Ba Sing Sae  
Escaping Azula #2  
Long Feng  
Dual no Elements  
The Tales of Ba Sing Sae  
Appa (Yip Yip) - Remix  
Aang's Guru Encounter  
The Avatar State (Nightmare)  
Crystal Cavern Confession  
Crossroads of Destiny  
Hope Lost

Intermission II (15 minutes)  
Act III (88 minutes)

Death of the Avatar - A Fire Lord's Celebration  
Avatar Slayer  
Hope Restored  
Paint it Red  
Swordbending  
Beach Confessions  
Zuko's Discovery  
Aang's Discovery  
Blind Bandit - Remix  
Puppets  
Black Hole Son  
Zuko, Here?  
The Masters of Fire  
Boiling Rock  
I'm A Girl Too (Reprise 2)  
I Love Him More  
Revenge, Forgiveness, Redemption  
The Comet  
Where's Aang?  
Hope Flickering  
Finding Iroh  
All Old People Know Each Other  
Fire & Water Accepted  
Sibling Rivalry  
Zuko's Honor  
Return of Aang  
Light vs Dark  
Hope Lasting  
Avatar Aang

The General stroked his beard as he looked over the list. "Just eighty songs?" He teased.

Zuko blushed, rubbing the back of his neck. Suki calmly placed her hand on his shoulder. Smiling, she turned to face the General. "Actually, we had a lot, lot more. The whole story of Aang could be three separate plays instead of three acts. But eighty is the perfect amount for Zuko's storytelling. Once you hear how he blends classic and modern rap together to tell the story, you'll see."

She turned her smile back to Zuko, making him feel as if he was the only one in the universe. Maybe he should forgo his original plan to kiss her after the opening night. If he were brave, he'd do it now.

"Well Ms Suki, you do make a compelling case. But mixing genres is hardly revolutionary. What else does this musical bring?"

Zuko smirked. They knew he'd want more of a visual demonstration. Him and Suki had discussed which songs they should perform for him. They wanted to show the tone of the play as well as give him a taste of their more… unique songs. They had chosen Water Sibling Squabble since it was essentially a rap roast battle between the two siblings as they bickered. Suki chose to perform I'm A Girl Too since it was her role specific song as well as showing that women can be just as amazing (if not more, in Zuko's eyes) as men while still being themselves and being "girly" as she put it. And Zuko had chosen to perform the Escaping Zuko since it was a fun mix of talk-rapping and singing. He also explained his vision of the Blind Bandit. They had brought a rough cut of the song. The character of Toph was the first one they wanted to find since the role was so unique. In the musical, the character had an incredibly fast couple of verses that leaned more into the hip-hop/rap side. Especially in The Blind Bandit since it was all about how great Toph Beifong is and her character would try to fit as many compliments about themselves as possible in a sentence.

"So. What do you think sir?" Zuko asked earnestly. They weren't perfect, they had both missed a couple of notes but other than that, Zuko thought they did rather well.

"Well," the general handed the song list back to Zuko and Suki. "I think the two of you have poured your heart and soul into this musical and it would be my absolute honor to make this dream come true." He said with a wink. "Tell me what you need and I'll make it happen. This very well could be one of the most influential musicals of our time."

The contracts were signed, a crew was hired, and future stars were about to be born.

* * *

The chatter continued as Zuko stepped back from the curtains. Every minute of Zuko's life the past two years had cumulated to this exact moment.

He remembered what his therapist had told him to do when he got stressed. _In. Out. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7-_

"Nervous?" A friendly voice asked. He didn't have to turn to know Suki was fussing over him. "It's okay," she said when he didn't turn to face her. In truth, he didn't want to face her. Looking at her would make his promise to himself real. Because when he looked at her, he would be reminded that he was four hours away from changing the entire dynamic of their relationship. Love was no simple declaration.

"Zuko?"

He sighed and turned to face her, completely forgetting that she was suited up in her Kyoshi Warrior gear and makeup. She placed her hand over his fake scar. "Mai did a good job. It looks so real. But… I think it might be on the wrong side."

Zuko flushed. "It is not on the wrong side. Ugh, every time!"

Suki keeled over laughed. "Every time," she said as she fanned herself, trying to prevent tears. "How do you fall into that one every time?"

"I hate you," he grumbled as he crossed his arms and tried to look away.

She grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him to face her still. "You love me," she joked. _If only you knew_. "But see!" She gestured to his changed stance. "You don't seem worried anymore."

"Only because now I'm annoyed," he teased. Suki feigned innocence. "But yes. I–thank you. I know I've said this to you a lot lately, but I'm so thankful for everything you've done. You've been with me from the start. It's just–you're so important to me. I will never be able to put into words how much I love you–"

Zuko froze, awestruck by what he just said. Suki though, laughed. "Well, you've said that plenty of times true. But the I love you is new." Zuko was about to shrink away and fuck up the entire show due to this embarrassing slip up. "But," Suki stood on her tip-toes to reach his lips. "You need to know that… that I love you too." She gave him a quick, love filled kiss before pulling away as their stage manager ran up to get them into places. "Just don't think about it too much. We have a musical industry to change." And with that, Suki was gone. Zuko sighed happily. Sometimes things work out when you don't expect them too.

"ATTENTION. This is your Fire Lord speaking." There was a pause as the audience applauded as they realized the show was about to start. A weight lifted off Zuko's shoulders that he hadn't realized was there. "At this time I demand you silence all electronic devices. All video, audio recording and flash photography is strictly prohibited and all violators will be sentenced to death. Thank you, and enjoy MY play." The audience laughed and the curtains started to rise.

This was it. This was everything Zuko had ever dreamed of. And just like his idol, he was not throwing away his shot.

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. Hamilton is 46 songs so 80 I'm sure is still kind of realistic lol
> 
> 2\. Suki's musical theatre background I think of it as Kyoshi Warriors being a modern day combo of MMA training as well as Hula dancing. 
> 
> 3\. Hamilton is truly incredible and I highly recommend you check it out. If u can't watch it please listen to it! It definitely helps u understand the vibes if you've heard the soundtrack.
> 
> 4\. There's no way in hell I could ever do what Lin-Manuel Miranda did, I'm not nearly as talented but I really wanted to give u all the impression of what the play would be.
> 
> 5\. This was honestly just a little fic I wrote in order to help me destress from my current life so don't judge to harshly. 
> 
> 6\. If u like it leave a comment and I'd love to hear how you think one of the songs would sound like!


End file.
